Yue's Twisted festival
by MeowDudette
Summary: Set post-war, everyone's returned to the North Pole for the anniversary of Yue's death. Everyone will be there... Even people who were thought to be dead? *Jetko* Zuko saves Jet's life in Lake Laogai, causing him to fall for the Blue Spirit. First chapter's bad but trust me, it gets better by the end of chapter three :) Warning: contains alcohol, cactus juice and dares.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. **

**Hey guys! So here's the thing: the first chapter is kind of crap but I promise you it gets better! I have plans :)**

* * *

"Urghhh" Jet moaned as he squinted away from the glare of the sun. He'd been sleeping for hours until it woke him up. Why was no one ever around to wake him up? Even when he was with the freedom fighters, he was always first up. Except then was different. Forest noises like birds and trees woke him before and he had a warm blanket over him for extra comfort. He wasn't comfy now. His bed was the wooden planks of his boat plus a fairly well packed bag for a pillow. If anything, now was when he needed the blanket most: he was in the middle of the Arctic Ocean with no shelter.

_Time to get up, I guess. _He thought to himself. Tugging his shirt collar higher, he stood and stretched. His boat was little more than a canoe with a sail. It was the cheapest thing at the earth kingdom dock he'd left from. If he'd had his way, he would have travelled on a larger boat with a small crew. However, Smellerbee and Longshot had the money. _Not sure they'd be happy to share. Well, not with me at least. _

After living far from the sea for so long, Jet was clueless about sailing. He hadn't thought about it before. It was only now, after spending over a week on this god damned boat, that he saw the problem in setting off on his own. His food supply had run out yesterday evening and his water was running dangerously low. He NEEDED to hit land.

Today was his lucky day.

Jet looked out to the horizon and almost collapsed with relief; land. On any normal day, it would have taken until sun down to get that far. This was no normal day. The usually still air attacked the sail, bringing the whole boat forwards. Jet sat down. He smiled as his excitement built. For the first time since he left, he had hope.

* * *

The North Pole was buzzing. Families decorated their homes with pale orbs, children ran around playing with their stall-bought-symbolic spirit toys and the streets dressed themselves in the finest white and black banners. An extremely important anniversary had come around: The anniversary of Princess Yue's transformation. It was one year ago the beloved princess gave back her life to keep the balance of the world and become the moon spirit. Chief Arnook, her father, had made sure she was recognised for her bravery, not only because he and his wife would never stop grieving, but because his people deserved to know why they lost their princess.

Plus he looked forward to having the Avatar and Fire Lord visit. He liked to promote a sense of 'unity' now the hundred year war was over. He welcomed all nations into his tribe, especially when a celebration was about.

His special guests were due to arrive today. He'd had every room in the palace prepared to fit them all in. After all, they were all heroes in their own right. From the Earth kingdom:

- Toph Beifong, the inventor of mentalbending and earthbending master

-Earth King Kuei, not forgetting his bear, Bosco

-The Kyoshi warriors, Ty Lee included

-Haru and Tyro

-The Mechanist and Teo

-The remaining Freedom Fighters, after their leader's death, it was unlikely they would make it

-The foggy swap tribe, Tho, Due and Huu

-King Bumi

-Fung

From the Fire nation:

-Fire Lord Zuko and his uncle Iroh

-Mai, a 'close friend' of the Fire Lord

-Master Jeong Jeong, all members of the Order of the White Lotus intended on coming anyway

-Master Piandao

From the Southern water tribe:

-Katara and Sokka

-Hakonda and Bato along with all other warriors

-Master Pakku and Kanna, this was the perfect time for them to return after their marriage

Along with, of course, Avatar Aang, Appa and Momo. Arnook looked out at his busy empire as the guards announced the arrival of the first guests.

* * *

Zuko paced around his room. _Could this ship get any worse?_ He looked forward to his brief vacation. Even if Yue's death was partially his fault, Chief Arnook explained in his letter that no one blamed him. It gave him closure to think that he was actually going to be welcomed into a community, instead of exiled from humanity. Being Fire Lord May be extremely challenging, but it had its upsides.

Spirits, he was bored!

He debated going to find Mai for a second, but, after their brake up, he was lucky she even came on his ship. Talking to her would be pushing his luck.

* * *

Katara and Sokka starred over the sides of Appa's saddle, excitedly. The event they'd been looking forward to since they received their invite had finally come around. They'd get to return to a place they loved, participate in a festival in remembrance of one of their great friends, see loads of people they knew and their family was coming with them!

The only downside was that they were both distracted. Behind their happy front, they both had their own painful issues to deal with. Sokka was grieving for Yue, their brief relationship the last time he was here would be one of his fondest and most tear-jerking memories. Returning with his current girlfriend seemed somehow disrespectful to her memory, so they travelled with their separate groups. He felt like he needed someone to reassure him that what he was doing was right. He planned on honouring Yue properly this evening. The main festival wasn't until the following evening.

Katara was also grieving, but that wasn't her only distraction. _Aang_. He sat on Appa's head, steering. _Hmm when should I tell him?_ She wondered. They'd been dating since the end of the war but Katara saw them more as just friends. He was like a brother to her. _How will it affect our friendship?_

As if reading her mind, Toph crawled over and put a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder. "How you holding up, Sugar Queen?" The blind master asked.

"Not bad. I can't wait to finally get to the North Pole!" Filled with doubt, her voice shook. Toph understood. She was the only one who did. Although they didn't usually show it, they were very close friends.

"Guys, do you see that?" Sokka shouted.

"Yes, Snoozles. Of course I do." Toph huffed as she slumped down against the edge of the saddle. Sokka muttered to her an apology and how her response was unnecessary.

"Aang! Katara! Right in front on the sea! Why is someone so far out in a small boat?" He yelled. Aang shouted a command to Appa and he dove down next to the boat.

* * *

"Zuko, the ship will be docking soon. Would you care to join us for some tea and a final game of Pai Sho?" Iroh said, slipping into his nephew's cabin. Zuko was sat on his bed, starring at the beautiful painting adorned on the beige wall.

"Okay. I'll be out soon, Uncle." Iroh nodded and left. _Time to get ready._ Zuko thought as he packed away his few scattered belongings in preparation of the departure of their vessel. When he was done, he breathed deeply and lifted the painting to reveal his most prized possession: his Blue Spirit mask and dual swords.

With them safely stored in his bag, he left to join his uncle.

* * *

When Jet first spotted Appa, he thought he was just a cloud. Then the friendly beast splashed into the ocean next to his ship. "Aang! Katara! Sokka! Toph!" He shouted to the passengers. His friends walked to the side of the saddle, and looked down at their should-be-dead ally. Aang sprang down and hovered above Jet's 'ship'.

"Jet! You're alive! Need a lift, buddy?" Jet loved being high in the air. It reminded him of back in the day when he lived in the forest. A wave of regret flowed through him at the thought of how he used to be. _I've changed. I'm not that person anymore. _He thought whilst accepting the ride and climbing on next to Momo.

Before they took off, Jet was attacked by a very shocked Katara. She pounced on him saying 'how glad she was he's alive'. Sokka and Toph crowded round asking him tons of questions about how he survived. Aang sat at the front shouting back some of his own.

"Haha. Calm down guys, I'll explain everything." Jet announced. He cleared his throat and continued in a dramatic voice. "There I was, lying there on the edge of death. Smellerbee and Longshot sat at both my sides telling me I was going to be alright. I thought different. I knew if I didn't get to a healer soon, I was a goner. Bee and Shot started saying their good byes: I had accepted my fate. Then, a miracle appeared; a miracle in the form of a masked heroine. The Blue Spirit was my saviour. She gave me a special tea that gave me the drive to carry on then nursed me into a suitable state to leave the tunnel. Shot and Bee took me to a healer and I haven't seen her since." Sokka clapped whilst wiping a non-existent tear from his eye. Toph let out a low whistle. Katara went off on a tangent about how she'd heard a lot about this 'Blue Spirit'.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa: _she_?" Aang said, springing up to where his passengers were sat. He knew the Blue Spirits identity was a secret, but he didn't realise the gender was too.

"Yeah, _she_. I could tell, see. It was the caring way she helped me and the golden shine to her beautiful eyes that confirmed it. Spirits, I wish I knew who she was." Jet answered with a dreamy look on his face. _Oh crap. He doesn't know he has a crush on Zuko._ Aang thought, whilst debating whether or not to tell him. _No, he can figure it out by himself. Besides, I doubt he'll believe me anyway._

"I think it's sweet." Katara said, drearily "You two could be soul mates. The next time you meet you'll be saving her. She'll fall into your arms and ask you never to let go." Aang made a conscious decision to stay out of it. Instead, he sat there listening to Sokka arguing that soul mates don't exist. Katara was retaliating.

"Okay then, if you're so 'all knowing' about soul mates, give me three examples of people we know." Sokka challenged. He had her stumped. _This isn't good _Aang thought _I should help Katara. _

"I have one! Me and Katara!" he said with confidence. Everyone went silent- apart from Sokka who demanded a second answer- and starred at Katara.

"Y-Yeah th-that's right." Her voice shook. Aang pretended not to notice. He thought Kat had been acting strangely lately. _I'll talk to her later. _He decided. Toph took it upon herself to break through the awkward barrier by asking Aang a question.

"Hey, Twinkletoes, how much longer?" She shouted. He looked up and answered.

"About ten minutes."

* * *

She sat huddled in the darkness of the emergency supplies. _What in spirit's name is taking this long?_ For the length of the journey, darkness, warm water and crackers were all she had to look forward to. No one knew she was on the boat. Well, no one knew where she was. They just assumed she was locked away safely in her asylum. Dreyu, her befriended guard, would cover for her. Unlike the others, Dreyu understood her. He got that she, _a princess_, simply could not stand being caged in when such progress and opportunities awaited. It was agreed that the outside world would help her recovery far better than a padded cell would.

A loud cry could be heard from the distance. "Now docking at the North Pole: all off in three minutes." The countdown had begun. She would finally have freedom. The freedom she deserved for she was none other than Princess Azula.

* * *

Up on the deck, every passenger had gathered with their luggage. They waved at the smiling locals that had gathered around to greet them. Everyone joined in except for Mai. She stood at the back of the boat watching the other arrival on the horizon. _Why did I come here?_ She thought. _ Because I'm naive enough to think Zuko and I still have a chance._ They were friends still, but she liked her space when it came to ex-boyfriends. _I need a goal. One that I can achieve by the time the festivals over. One that will keep me busy and give me something to do. I know! I'll play match maker. If I can set three couples up, I'll go home happy. _

With her new goal in mind, she walked to the other end to exit the boat with a sly smile on her usually frowning face.

* * *

Chief Arnook walked through the main hall. Finally, his guests had started arriving. His plan was for them to be welcomed as honoured guests that should be celebrated, so they were walking through the city to his palace. Of course, he'd had the route be replaced with Earth shipped in. He doubted earth benders would be able to cope without earth; Toph definitely wouldn't with it being her vision and all. So the first foot of ice all over the kingdom floor had been replaced with earth kingdom soil. He really wanted them to feel at home, so he'd put an earthy carpet over the normally iced floors of his palace.

This would be the only alone time he would have before the end of the festival; he sat in his throne and thought of Yue.

* * *

"I could get used to this!" Sokka said to Aang, Katara, Toph, Jet, Appa and Momo as they walked through the people lined streets of the North Pole. Children stood waving enthusiastically with a look of awe on each one of their faces. Teenagers wooped and cheered their heroes. Adults applauded loudly.

"Yeah, this is great!" Aang said, stuffing his mouth with one of the delicacies offered to him by a middle aged woman.

"Meh, it's not all bad." Toph replied. She was the most sceptical about getting off Appa. Ice had never been one of her favourite things, so she was glad to find that someone had rolled out the earth-carpet for them. It was thick enough for her to see!

They weren't sure if they were the first ones there or not. On the way there, they passed a fire nation ship which the assumed was Zuko's. However, it took them so long to find where to land Appa, the ship cold have docked by now.

"This place is beautiful." Jet said, staring at one of the water symbols on the side of a building. It curled around like a wave with two smaller ones coming off of it.

"Yes, it really is." Katara said, pausing her hurrying for a second. They were in a rush to get to their destination to see if they really were the first there. They approached the palace, took a few moments to admire its magnificence then went in. Delicate icicles made the roves of the tired frozen building. Although it was all made from ice, somehow there were different shades of blue for the curls on the corners of the rooms. They were ushered through to the grand hall.

* * *

Zuko stood at the front of the boat. He's then had his ass kicked at Pai Sho by every member of the White Locus except Pakku who was traveling with Kanna and the Southern Water Tribe warriors who had set off a few weeks earlier. The Order were all traveling together on his boat because they'd been visiting Iroh when the invitation had come and Zuko offered them a ride. He had great respect for the Order. Their wisdom and spirit was impressive and he could only wish to be like that when he was their age.

The ship approached the dock, earning a large round of applause from the people waiting. Zuko raised his arm and waved as a friendly welcome. It wasn't very 'him' but being Fire Lord had taught him how to treat crowds. _Just play nice. _He thought. _A little positivity won't kill you. _That though almost made him laugh. Zuko, positive! It was something he'd been working on since the end of the war, along with some help from his uncle. It'd been working so far, and he could confidently say that the future for the fire nation would be bright. _All I need now is someone to run it with me._

He'd been too busy to think of it lately, but he needed to find a wife. It was expected that he and Mai would be married, but he didn't think he could spend his life with her. In his opinion, Mai was a great girl, she was smart, fiery, beautiful and not too in your face. That wasn't enough though. She didn't have the spark that he wanted. He knew that within the year, whatever flame they had would have burned itself out. He just helped it along. When they broke up, the pressure was put back on for him to find someone. Iroh had been going easy on him: he'd only mentioned it twice. Once a week after the brake up and at the Pai Sho table a few moments before. The race was on for him to find a girl.

The plank was put out for them to walk across and, naturally, Zuko was the first out, followed closely by his uncle. Behind him was the rest of the White Locus then behind them was Mai. She was thinking of how she was going to complete her goal. _Hmmm who suits?_ She debated pairs but finally came up with an idea. _Maybe it would be better if they didn't suit._ Yes! That was the fruit pie to her banquet of ideas. _The stranger the couple, the better!_ She made a mental note to assess everyone at the festival in case she could use them for her idea.

Walking through the North Pole was boring. Mai just followed her group through the cold streets and tried to avoid the people. They were too enthusiastic for her liking. She just continued planning her mischief.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I don't own Avatar The Last Airbender. Hey thanks to whoevers reading this for clicking my story :) it means a lot. Request any pairings!**

* * *

Jet looked around the crowded room, scanning the few people he recognised and the many he didn't. He felt naked without his Freedom Fighters. They'd been together for years; Jet had always known he could fall back on them. _So much for being their leader. Honestly, now I couldn't lead a turtle duck to a pond, let alone a group of people _(not that he'd admit that if anyone asked).

The Grand hall had been set out in a buffet style. The guests had arrived just before lunch, so their mid-day meal was a party. Before now, he'd been having a conversation about the Blue Spirit with some old lady who called herself Aunt Wu. He told her his theory and what happened in the tunnels under Lake Laogai. "Well, whoever they are, they're a saviour. As far as you're 'soul mate' goes, we could check your fortune? See what that says?" She said, using her position as a fortune teller to help the usually charismatic young man. He hastily agreed and she set to work revealing his fortune. After a few minutes staring at his outstretched palm, she said: "Ahh I see you've been relying on this trip to find your soul mate… at the cost of some dear friends, no doubt. Your love line says it's worth it if, when the time comes, you're willing to accept. Friends are what you need at this minute." Then before he could ask any questions, she excused herself to circulate.

_Who's that? I recognise him. Is that… No it can't be… It is! It's Lee!_ Jet thought, noticing his ex-friend. He noticed him at the same time. _Shit, he's done well since last time I saw him. What's with the fancy fire nation clothes?_ They weren't exactly 'friends' the last time they'd met, but now the war was over, Jet didn't bear a grudge. To be honest, he wanted to know what had happened to him.

"Lee! I didn't expect to see you here. What the hell happened?" He said, stepping towards Zuko.

* * *

Zuko greeted everyone he knew as soon as he arrived in the hall. Iroh had told him that he had to be pleasant to create a good image for the Fire Nation. So even when a young girl called Meng kept pestering him, he wasn't allowed to light her gravity-defying pigtails on fire. _Shame. I haven't had any fun in ages._

He became aware that someone was looking at him. _Fuck... is that Jet? What's he doing here? He'd better not start any shit. _The last time the Fire Lord had seen him, he was feeding him some of Iroh's healing tea and bandaging his broken ribs. Jet didn't know it was him, obviously: he wore his (well, technically his mother's) Blue Spirit mask. He knew him before that, though.

They'd met on the boat to Ba Sing Se and became friends. Because he was wanted at the time, Zuko was going by the name 'Lee'. After a succeeded mission, Jet offered 'Lee' to join his rag tag group called the Freedom Fighters. He declined, Jet found out he's a firebender and boom! They were enemies in Jet's eyes. He didn't know if Jet still saw him that way, but he did know that he didn't know his true identity.

Meng then saw the Avatar and scurried away to fawn over him.

"Lee! I didn't expect to see you here. What the hell happened?" Jet said, coming closer.

"I could say the same for you." The Fire Lord replied. His mouth had gone dry and he'd no idea what to say. Jet held up a fist which Zuko knuckle bumped.

"What's with the poncey fire nation clothes?" The Freedom Fighter questioned.

"It's a long story. See, I wasn't exactly honest with you… I'm Fire Lord Zuko." Jet's jaw dropped. He knew he was fire nation, but _royalty_? He even had a different name. Noticing his mistake, Jet picked himself up and chuckled.

"Well that's a shock! At least I know why you were so secretive now."

"Yeah. If there was another way, I would have done it. Are we good?" Zuko said in an attempt to apologise.

"Hmmmm you lied to me about where you came from, you bullshitted about not being a firebender, hell; you even lied to me about your name! Why should I forgive you?" Jet teased with a smirk. Not catching on, Zuko started saying something else- it was along the lines of him being 'an argumentative prick'. Jet interrupted: "Were good, man. As long as you forgive me for almost killing you and almost getting you arrested."

Zuko was not a smiling person, but he caught himself grinning at the guy in front of him. That was until Jet bear hugged him. He then stood with an expression of shock- he wasn't used to physical contact with his friends.

* * *

Tho, Due and Huu ran through the frozen streets of the North Pole as fast as fast as their weighed-down legs would allow. They'd been travelling for weeks in hope of getting there early. No such luck. They'd taken a wrong turn and ended up in the middle of the Si Wong Desert. That was where they discovered the wonders of cactus juice. After living on it for three days, they realised that it was turning them a little crazy, so they bottled tons of it and hid it in their 'clothing' (they'd upgraded from underwear made of leaves to a pair of baggy cloth trousers each- it was their fancy wear for a fancy occasion). They figured a party wasn't a party without someone spiking the punch!

They got there on time and their punch idea went according to plan…

* * *

Azula crept out of her hiding spot and got to work on her disguise. First: her hair. She'd cut it in a ghastly, choppy way before she had been put in the asylum. Due to some rule, they wouldn't allow a palace hair stylus in to help her. Her hair had grown back, luckily. Fire nation ships were made majorly of metal, so finding her reflection was easy. She took out a small pair of scissors shed stolen and shaped her hair. _I can't have it how it was before because Zuzu will recognise me… maybe a full fringe? Nope, I'll look too like Mai. I could leave out the fringe. Nope, my hair isn't long enough. Side fringe… That's it!_ She combed her hair sideways across her forehead and began snipping. She was a positively amazing hair dresser, even if she did say so herself. _I could never pursue such a brainless, menial task; it's beneathme. _

The length of her hair had been trimmed by one of her 'carers' so it was still the same length as it was before. _It has to change. _She thought before pulling out a dagger and cutting the rest of her hair into a short, bouncy bob that came down just above her chin. Then she went over the ends to neaten it with the scissors.

For her face, she'd bought a moon themed mask. It was a cream coloured crescent with thick lace to make it a full circle. Her brown eyes sat square in the centre of the almond shaped cut-outs.

Finally, she changed into traditional, blue water tribe clothes.

The festival was on in the night time, so there would be more people out than ever. She left the ship at midday.

* * *

Sokka couldn't get enough of the punch. He didn't care which of the three flavours he had (there was mixed fruit, sea prune and a strange spicy flavoured one); he just carried on drinking it- like everyone else for that matter. One minute he was standing there talking to The Mechanist about his new idea for a steam powered paint brush, then he was shouting at Momo for covering Teo's wheelchair in buffalo Yak bogies (Momo was actually just sat next to Teo) before finally grabbing an over-sized steak and waltzing with it.

"Put my friend down, Young man!" Bumi shouted at Sokka. It was becoming apparent that everyone was fond of the punch.

"No! Get away from me smelly-wrinkly-seal!" The water tribe boy's naming skills weren't up to his usual standard. The old king wrestled with Sokka until he got back his 'friend' the steak that he named John. Thank spirits the water tribe boats hadn't arrived yet, or Hakonda would have got involved.

Sokka sat back and watched the craziness unfold.

* * *

Jet felt funny. Not 'funny' as in sick or hilarious, funny as in his stomach was doing flips and he wanted to hug everyone and tell them what pretty flowers they were. Zuko was in an even worse state and had to put his arm around Jet's shoulders for support. They then started to have a rather loud conversation about their impending doom. Zuko thought they were going to be snorted up by a rabid sabre-toothed moose-lion whereas Jet thought Appa was going to explode, sending them all sky high.

Mai sat watching them, her sly smile returning to her ivory face- she'd seen the Foggy Swamp tribe spiking the punch and avoided drinking it. She made a mental note on how different Jet and Zuko were, one being a homeless orphan- the other the ruler of a great nation.

Just then, an idea struck her. It was perfect! She'd get everyone to play spin the bottle truth or dare. With any luck, it would go horribly wrong.

Within ten minutes, everyone was sat in a large circle with a bottle in the centre. The people who'd cut down on the cactus juice were only slightly loopy, but the people who carried on drinking were stark raving mad. Mai explained the rules "We spin the bottle and whoever it lands on has to say either truth or dare. The person at the other end of the bottle can ask them anything or dare them anything." And the game started. The first person the bottle landed on was Haru who thought for a moment then said dare. At the other end was a fairly intoxicated Suki. She giggled, said something about there being an annoying octopus next to here then said: "Ha-*hic* Haru, I dare you to…drink punch out the person's belly button the bottle lands on." Haru was one of the ones who'd cut down on cactus juice, so he wasn't too worried about the dare, until he found out who it landed on: Iroh.

The old man had had too much contaminated punch to care about what was going on. He just said "Yes! That's fine, badgermole. Now bring me more punch!" He lay on his back with his large belly exposed. Suki poured some fruit punch into his belly button, the coldness caused him to chuckle and spill some. Haru grimaced and knelt down next to Iroh. He closed his eyes and put his mouth over the man's hairy middle.

A second later, it was all gone. This earned him a cheer from his fellow participants. He then spun the bottle for the next persons turn.

* * *

Jet was sat in the circle of chairs, wedged between Zuko and Teo, laughing about how similar Zuko and Momo were when the bottle landed on him. He wanted to get it over and done with so that he could get back to his fun so he said truth. Ty Lee pushed and fidgeted so that she was on the other end of the bottle. "Do you have a girlfriend?" She asked, her eagerness showed in her wide eyes.

Jet cleared his throat, swayed to the left a bit and answered. "No, pretty pink polar bear dog, I do not. I have eyes only for one girl. A girl who's face I have never seen. Her kindness matches that of the Avatar's, her beautiful eyes shine golden but her lovely face is covered by a mask. That's right. I'm in love with the blue sprit!" A few of the girls let out an 'aaawwwwww'. Some because they thought it was sweet, some because they thought it was a shame for such a lovely young man to be off the market.

As soon as the words came from Jet's mouth, Zuko felt like he needed a few more cups of punch.

* * *

Jet kicked the bottle, making it spin uncontrollably. Eventually, it settled on Bumi. The old lunatic didn't hesitate, he just shrieked dare. Across from him was Mai. _Let's work some magic._ She thought.

"I dare you to Tundress one piece of clothing with Aunt Wu." Mai said. Tundresssing is where two people remove one piece of the other person clothing and have to put theirs on the other person. The catch is they can only use their teeth and tongue.

So, Bumi got up and stood next to Wu. She started by grabbing the corner of his top shawl and tugging it until the catch popped open. It fell to the ground and Bumi got to work on her heavy, floor length cardigan. It was soon dropped on the floor. Wu got her cardigan off the floor and around Bumi in a few short moves. Even in her old age, she was still as graceful as ever. Bumi picked up his shawl, threw it around her neck and got to work on the catch. He had his chin on her chest and his forehead under her chin with the catch in his mouth. After a few minutes of him awkwardly chewing it (and a few giggles from Aunt Wu) it popped close.

They bowed and re-spun the bottle.

* * *

Aang wasn't sure what was in the punch, but he didn't like it. Being a monk, he was against all drugs and intoxicating substances. That didn't mean he was going to stop everyone else's fun though. In fact, he couldn't think of a better thing to do at a pre-pre-party than play truth or dare. He'd watched Jet's speech of how he loved the Blue Spirit and thought the poor boy deserved to know the truth. Zuko and he were sat with their arms round each other's shoulders, joking in their drunken state- very out of character for Zuko.

His chance came when the bottle landed on Zuko and he said truth. Aang was on the other side.

He thought for a second hesitated at the thought of how badly this could end then said "When was the last time you saw Jet?" Not lying must've been one of the effects of the cactus juice, because panic crossed his eye's before he answered honestly.

"I saw him in the tunnels in Ba Sing Se. He was lying on the floor, dying so I gave him the tea uncle gave me. He was pretty badly hurt as well, so I gave Longshot and Smellerbee a hand by doing his bandages for him and realigning his broken rib."

Jet took is arm off Zuko, looked him in the eye and said "What the actual FUCK!"

The Fire Lord swayed, a slight panic registered on his features but was dulled by the influence of the cactus juice. "Dude, I saved your life! And you thought I was a chick? Dumbass." Wow. Tho, Due and Huu must've gone overboard on the juice; no one had ever heard Zuko use the words 'dude', 'chick' and 'dumbass'.

Usually, Jet would have stormed out, but the punch helped heal his injured pride. "Thanks man! *hic* should've known it was you by the eyes. You got some nice ones there, mate." Zuko then started screaming because he saw a sword wielding koalaotter stood at the other side of the room. Jet rubbed his back to calm him down saying "It's okay, that's Bryke. He's legit. Don't worry man, he's friendly."

"A-are you sure?" Zuko slurred.

"No, but I'll protect you!" Jet shouted, grabbing a breadstick to use as a sword.

Mai watched. _That'll be awkward when they sober up._

* * *

Katara was one of the people who'd continued drinking. She felt good and the pink otter penguins dancing around her were starting to seem relatively normal. Everything was going fine until the bottle landed on her. Being too comfy too move, she burped quietly and said "Truth!"

At the other end of the bottle was Toph (she'd get to ask the question). Mai told her she'd get to ask Katara anything. Compared to Katara, she wasn't badly affected by the cactus juice. It was more like alcohol than a hallucinogen to her so she'd stopped drinking it early on, making her just over tipsy. _Time to have some fun._ She thought before asking: "How do you feel about Aang?" Toph knew asking it was risky, but everyone was in such a state that they just didn't care.

Well, that sparked a loud rant from Sugar Queen. "Urgh! Don't ask. He's all like 'Katara I love you! We're gonna be together forever and live in fairy land with our nine thousand children.' And I'm all like 'Slow down there, matey! I'm pulling up me anchor and lettin' this ship sail if ya catch me drift." For some reason, she ended in a pirate voice. Toph had no idea where that came from, but it wasn't sugar coating the blow for Aang who was sat near Katara with a shocked expression and glistening eyes. Katara didn't know when to stop. "It's like he doesn't get that I'm not a kid anymore and I need to move on, because I shouldn't have to waste my time on a guy who I only see as a little brother." She ended by trying to stand to get a drink, falling face first on the floor and deciding that was a good place to sleep off her toxins. Sokka grabbed a cushion from one of the chairs, put it under her head and whispered "Night, night little platypus bear." He then spun the bottle again.

* * *

Ty Lee was so happy when the bottle landed on her, she could have flipped! " Dare!" She screeched. At the other end was Jet. He'd forgotten about the earlier drama with the amount of cactus juice and thought of a dare. He looked around. Everyone was having a great time… other than Teo. _The depressing git hasn't said anything in a while; let's give him a good time. Hmmm just getting them to kiss is boring… what should I get them to do?_ He pulled out two pieces of gum from his pocket, one green and the other pink. Handing Teo the green and the pink to Ty Lee, he said "Both of you chew them then trade without using your hands"

* * *

**Erm yeah, I did make up Tundressing in about three seconds... review please! :) The game of dares will carry on next chapter. Sorry the plot's taking a while. I am trying!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

**Sorry this took me a while and that it's shorter than the other chapters but I think the story's really getting started now! Thanks for the views and reviews. **

* * *

Teo had always been a very sociable person, without the influence of cactus juice that was. After a good few glasses of the stuff, he was convinced everyone was trying to steal his shoes. _I know what they're plotting._ He thought.

_Why is Jet giving me gum? _Jet explained how he had to chew it then swap with Ty Lee.

He usually would have been nervous, but he drank that away with his sixth cup of punch. Ty Lee stood and walked over to him. With a cheeky wink, she bent down and put her lips to his. Teo felt a bolt of electric surge through him, like he had been struck by lightning and enjoyed it. She started pushing her chewing gum into his mouth using her tongue, reminding him that they had a mission. Teo got to work pushing his own gum into Ty Lee's mouth which so luckily accepted. They parted lips. She gave him a peck on the mouth and walked away.

Mai watched, thinking it was all over, until she realised neither got rid of their gum.

* * *

The bottle landed on Sokka next, but he was too busy leaning backwards staring at the platters of food he was forced to leave to play the stupid game to care. _What I'd give for some of that ham…_ Meng sat across. "What do you prefer, meat or Suki?" She asked when he showed no preference.

He didn't even look away. "Isn't it obvious? She's so nice and has always been there for me. When me and the guys were traveling and I had to go without her, I didn't think I'd survive. Now I'm sat in this room so far away from her, it's painful." His speech brought tears to Suki's eyes.

"Oh, Sokka!" She exclaimed, running towards him. He stood, turned and ran to the table.

"I've missed you so much. I promise never to go without you again." He said… to the meat. As you can imagine, Suki wasn't too pleased to hear this.

"You bastard!" She shouted, storming towards. Sokka made no effort to look up from his ham as Suki flipped him halfway across the room in one move. Luckily, Ty Lee chi blocked Suki into being temporarily paralysed. Sokka got up and ran back to his meat.

* * *

Azula found a place, near the palace, to stay at. Though the inn keeper did give her a wary look when she asked for a palace facing room, she offered him enough gold to shut him up. It was worth it in long run, if her plan worked out.

* * *

Chief Arnook had turned a blind eye to the punch spiking. He'd seen the swamp tribe get to work- their subtlety had a lot to be desired. However, what he didn't approve of was _children _taking part in such a terrible game, so as soon as the remaining guests arrived, he sent everyone to they're rooms to sober up for the pre-party. After all, he was the CHIEF, so what he says goes. The instructions were clear: it was just after midday then, so they would sleep until sunset then gather in the entrance.

* * *

Jet had never liked being told what to do. He'd led the Freedom Fighters for so long that he wasn't used to being led. He wished they were here with him, that he hadn't of been 'a selfish toss pot' (Smellerbee's words).

*Nine days earlier*

Jet walked through the door of his shared apartment to see Bee and Shot sat at the table reading a letter that had just arrived with a messenger hawk. They looked up and greeted him with the usual "Hey" from Smellerbee and a nod from Longshot. He sat next to Bee and said "What you got there?" gesturing to the piece of paper. She passed it to him. In a childish scrawl was written:

_To Jet, Longshot and Smellerbee,_

_Now the war is over, we want to get back to the way we used to live. In the forest. With you guys. We found our old hang out and a few friends to live here with and have been here for a few months. Meet us at the clearing in the centre of the forest in one week if you are interested._

_See ya soon!_

_The Duke, Sneers and Pipsqueak_

"It's great, isn't it Jet?" Smellerbee said, excited to be going home. Longshot just sat with the ends of his mouth turned up.

"Yeah, it is. It's a shame we can't go, though. Send a letter back saying we'll find them sometime next month." Jet waved it off. Seeing the disappointment in her face, Jet continued "We already planned on going to Yue's festival. It's been arranged for weeks, we'd get to honour her sacrifice, I'd get to congratulate everyone and show them I'm not dead. This is important, it's the only time everyone will be together to tell them. We can find the other Freedom Fighters after." Smellerbee gave one of her deadliest glares and argued back.

"How can you put anyone before our _family_? Our home? You never used to care about anyone outside of the forest. What changed?"

"EVERYTHING! As much as I loved living there, the worlds a different place now, we need to be part of it or we don't have a chance of getting over our issues. We can visit them after, explain ourselves." They continued to argue for an hour or so, until Smellerbee hit a nerve.

"You can't choose them over us! Abandoning the Freedom Fighters _again_ would be cruel. Besides, they think you're dead and wouldn't notice if we weren't there." Jet's anger rose. How could she say he was abandoning them again? He'd made sure they could cope before they left, if they'd changed how they lived, it was his choice if he were part of it.

They'd planned on leaving that evening, but Smellerbee and Longshot had made it clear they would not be going. Jet stormed out without looking back.

*End of Flashback*

The journey there had been long enough for him to have gone the full emotional cycle: 1. Angry (_How could they go against their leader?!_) 2. Unsure- a new emotion for him (_Maybe it was kind of my fault…_) 3. Lonely (_Why did I come here on my own?_) 4. Numb (_Don't care…_) until finally going back to angry (_Why was I so stupid?_).

Before he started drinking, he was angry, but the cactus juice sped up the process. He'd been catapulted to three when he sobered up. Sat in his room, he determined that there was a few hours left before sun down. _Might as well find someone to talk to._ He grabbed the bottle he'd snuck into his room- the man who sold it to him didn't tell him what was in it; just that it was strong and alcoholic. _Perfect._

His room was made from ice which was strange because the palace wasn't cold. Creeping through the door, he made sure not to wake anyone. After about twenty minutes of walking up, down and in a circle, he still hadn't found anyone, until he started heading back that was…

* * *

Zuko woke to a splitting headache. He'd only been asleep for about an hour; now he was sober and wide awake with hours to kill. He figured some fresh air would help… he was wrong. Stepping outside into the bright sunlight, he quivered and shrank away. _Bad idea. I'll go back to my room and mope for a bit._ Trotting up the stairs to the door of his room, he saw Jet sneaking around with a large bottle of a questionable liquid. Jet didn't see him immediately, giving Zuko time to walk up behind him and scare him.

"Up to your old tricks already, I see." Jet jumped, turning to face his 'friend'. Jet's face never used to give away what he was thinking; Zuko noted the sudden change when he saw the nervousness in his eyes. In a second, it was gone.

"Nope, no tricks here. I was just looking for someone to drink this with. You game?" Jet replied, lifting the mysterious bottle.

"What is it?" asked the Fir e Lord. He wondered if it would cure his aching head.

"I don't have a fucking clue, but that punch gave me one bitch of a hangover. Let's hope it helps." With that, he uncorked the bottle and took a few gulps. Zuko couldn't help but laugh when he saw the scrunched up look on Jet's face. "If you think it's so funny, you drink some."

Zuko took hold the bottle, a smirk on his face. The pungent stench of the alcohol hit his nostrils, making him think twice. _3, 2, 1, DRINK!_ He gulped down about double the amount Jet did, gagging at the putrid flavour, after. "That tastes like piss. Where'd you get it?" Jet laughed at his reaction, the alcohol living up to his expectation.

"Believe me, man. It's alcohol. I got from a dodgy market in Ba Sing Se. Been saving it for a special occasion." Zuko coughed and spluttered, trying not to vomit from the horrible drink.

"Why are you drinking it with me then? Shouldn't you drink it at the pre party? Or the festival" Zuko was suspicious. He'd never really thought of his presence as fun, so someone wanting to drink with him was unheard of.

"Well it's not every day I get to be alone with The Blue Spirit." He said with a chuckle. Oh spirits… Zuko remembered the truth or dare from earlier that day. Jet read his mind and said "I know I was shitfaced when I told you I was cool with us being mates, but I did mean it. I owe you one for saving my life and all." They leaned against the wall, passing the bottle back and forth, making unattractive faces as they drank (I didn't know that was possible).

"So I have, like, a bodyguard now then?" Zuko asked, jokingly. Alcohol brought out his well-hidden sense of humour.

"Well, I told you earlier I'd protect you. Don't you remember?" Jet threw back. Whatever was in the bottle was starting to take effect. _This is some good stuff. _He thought, his hangover fading away.

"Oh yeah. It was right after you told me what nice eyes I have." Zuko teased, not caring that he'd drank the majority of the bottle himself. This earned an uncomfortable smile from Jet. He'd hoped Zuko had forgotten that part… obviously not. The thing is you couldn't _not_ stare at Zuko's eyes. Even if the scar wasn't there, they were so eye catching: warm and bright gold.

"Well they were the only thing I could remember about The Blue Spirit. Everyone had seen pictures of your mask, but I was the only one who'd seen your eyes. They looked too nice to be a dude's. Then I thought _Wow! She's so much better than the other girls I've met. What are the chances of a hero being around when I need one? It has to be fate! _Guess I was wrong, huh?" Jet chuckled, honestly. The bottle had been passed back to him. _Is there tequila in this? _He thought,taking in a gulp of the drink.

Jet wanted to spend the next week in a drunken blur. He was all alone, without his group and now all hope of finding The Blue Spirit and telling her he was in love with her had left. Jet was quite disappointed he wouldn't get the chance. Or would he…

"Zuko? You listening, man?" He asked, noticing how badly Zuko had been affected by the booze. _ Wow. He's such a lightweight. _He rested his head on Jet, slurring something about how much he loved him. "I think we need to get you to your room. Which one is it?"

"36B. don't leave me though. I don't want to be on my own for the next few hours." The Fire Lord whispered, being lifted buy Jet then supported to help him walk. They hobbled along corridors and upstairs until they reached Zuko's room. Jet laid him on his bed then kept to his word and sat at his feet. "This world is so screwed up." The very drunk boy said. Jet looked over for him to continue. "We shouldn't be single. I mean, come on! With your looks and charm you could have _any_ girl from here to the South Pole. As for me, I'm the Fire Lord for fucks sake!" He ended with a hiccup, earning a chuckle from Jet.

"It's my own fault I'm single. I was too obsessed with you. I've had girls throwing themselves at me, but I turned them down. I wanted the Blue Spirit and no one else… and I thought it was you who broke up with Mai anyway? It's your fault you're single too." Jet finished as Zuko sat up next to him, their legs touching. Jet still had the bottle in his hand. He handed it to Zuko to finish. The Fire Lord obliged.

"You're right. You really wasted all of that time waiting for me? What did you plan on doing when you found me?" Zuko slurred, leaning on Jet's shoulder. The more sober boy was aware of how close they were, smelling the booze on his breath and the faint smokiness of his clothes.

"I- I planned on telling you I'm in love with you." The earth kingdom boy stuttered, embarrassed for once in his life. He never thought he'd be saying that to a guy. Zuko looked up at him. _Oh fuck… those eyes… _Jet thought.

"Oh yeah." He had a deep emotion added to his voice. Jet debated whether it was un-comfortableness or flattery. Zuko sat upright, swaying slightly but never breaking his gaze. "And what did you want me to say back?" Jet started to get flustered, his blush only just visible over the effects of the alcohol. He fidgeted a bit before replying.

"Well… the same back." There was a heavy silence with only their slow breaths to be heard. _Oh shit… what's he gonna say? _The firebender leaned closer to his companion and started speaking in a slow, hazy way.

"Jet… I think I-" Zuko started. However, he was interrupted by the door being kicked back so hard, it was lucky to be on its hinges.

"Missed me, Zuzu?" called the bitter sweet voice of the Fire nation princess.

* * *

**If anyone has an issue with the rating, just say and I'll change it to M. I think it's okay but feel free to tell me your opinion! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey Guys! :) The 'actual' story starts at the end of this chapter. Yes, I know it's a rough start, but lets hope you enjoy it? Thanks for the views and reviews.**

* * *

Azula wanted Zuko dead, plain and simple. She didn't care how she did it, or what trouble she got into, she just wanted- _needed _- him dead. After all, why should he have the freedom to rule a nation when she's rotting away in a psychiatric cell? It just wasn't fair. She was, of course, smarter and more devoted than he was: Why wasn't she ruling instead?

Creeping out of her small room, she readjusted her weapons so that they were completely hidden. The hallway ahead of her was bare, leaving nothing to distract her from her violent thoughts. The inn keeper in the lobby bade her goodbye, using the fake name 'Miss Hattin' that she gave him. _Fool._ She thought.

Sneaking into the palace was no trouble at all. She strutted through the front door, right up to the guards. "Excuse me, miss. Who are you and what are you doing here?" The guard to the right asked. He'd long hair tied in a low ponytail and spoke in a dim voice. _Stupid peasant. _

"Oh, terribly sorry. I'm Scarlet Sailor. Fire Lord Zuko ordered me for this afternoon." She swayed her hips as she spoke, attempting to make flirty eyes at them (this failed ending in her glaring at them). The guards looked at each other, never having heard of such things.

"Well, he's supposed to be sleeping..." said Dim-wit. Azula kept her cool, noting that the other guardsman disagreed.

"Dude, do you want to be the one to tell him- _The Fire Lord-_ that he didn't get any because we turned this lovely lady away?" asked the smarter one. He motioned for her to go up the stairs. "He's in 36B. Put in a good word for us while you're there, will you?"

She sashayed forward. "Will do, boys." With a wink, she headed up to Zuko's room.

The guest block was RIDICULOUSLY high. There were three rooms on each floor (A, B and C) and _45_ floors. Azula's fitness had decreased slightly with her time in the asylum, so by the time she reached her floor, she was panting. After composing herself, he kicked the door down.

"Missed me, Zuzu?" she called to her brother. Examining the room, she noticed Zuko in a very comfy position with a good looking _boy_. "Ahhh Zuko, I never knew you bat for the other side." He looked up from the intense gaze, eyes dreary.

"You really know how to ruin a moment, don't you Azula?" She saw how petty the 'great and powerful' Fire Lord looked, leaning on someone else for support, drunkenly swaying. _This'll be easy. _She thought, pulling out a sharp dagger from the strapping on her thigh (she wasn't crazy enough to use firbending in a palace made of ice) and lunging towards Zuko. Zuko fell back onto the bed, as Jet rose. The earth kingdom boy tackled Azula, slamming her into the cabinet on the other side of the wall.

Azula knew where she went wrong: she didn't have a plan. Earlier that day, she'd planned on waiting until nightfall, attacking at the part and slinking away, unrecognised (the point in her changing her hair). However, she'd been cooped up too long to just sit in her room all day, so she watched the palace from her room. When everyone went to bed in the middle of the day, she saw her chance and took it. _I should have thought more in depth about it, instead of thinking I was just going to kill him and leave._

Jet whacked the princess's head against the wall to knock her out, then dragged her out the room and called for the guards. She didn't stay down for long, which he realised too late as she reached up and made a deep slash into his shoulder. Azula couldn't believe how this commoner was treating her. She was the _princess_ of the fire nation. How dare him!

"Scarlet Sailor, what's going on?" said the guard rushing to her aid.

"No, don't help her! She was trying to kill the Fire lord! Arrest her!" Jet screeched, leaving her in the capable hands of the palace guards. Ensuring she wasn't returning, he walked back into Zuko's room.

* * *

Zuko sat through the attack in a drunken haze. He'd tried standing up, but the booze had affected his balance: he fell straight back down. _I might as well get comfy. _He thought, taking off his shoes and jacket then climbing on top the covers. _What the shit was going on before Azula came in?_ He thought, running through the events. _I was going to tell Jet I love him… Do I love him? I mean, he's a great guy, but that's the thing: he is a guy._ He remembered back in Ba Sing Se, where they'd worked together on a food based mission, _that _night, when Jet had started accusing 'Lee' of firebending and healing him under the lake.

*_That night_*

Zuko sat with his uncle, then having finished collecting food for the poor with Jet and his group. Adrenaline still rushed through him, like the pumping engine of their boat. There was no way he could sleep feeling this buzzed. He decided to take a little walk around the ship, hoping the night air would calm him. Walking along the railing, he saw a figure standing, chewing a piece of wheat. It could only be one person: Jet. The group leader started walking towards him, grinning slightly at the sight of his friend.

"You can't sleep either, huh?" Zuko shook his head and leant on the railing. "Well, Lee you're lucky to be on the same ship as me then; I haven't slept since I left the forest. I'll keep you company for the night…"he trailed off, leaving Zuko to think that he might have an ulterior motive. "You know, you don't talk much, do you? 's there a reason or are you just the 'strong and silent' type?"

Jet took a step closer to him, assuming a similar position. "I guess. I'm a pretty boring person; no one would want to talk to me anyway." Zuko admitted, hanging his head. As much as he despised people pitying him, he knew Jet was different. He could trust him. No one had ever been so nice to him, especially on their first meeting. It made him feel jittery just thinking about it. H wasn't sure what it was, but whenever Jet pulled one of his signature grins at him, his stomach felt like it was filled with crackling flames.

"I want to talk to you." Jet said, placing a hand on Zuko's cheek and pulling him up to face him. The pale boy jumped and shuddered at being touched, but eventually melted under Jet's warm palm. Their faces got closer, lips parting slightly and heads turning. Jet's eyes shut; Zukogathered he should do the same. They were less than a centimetre apart when Zuko started to panic. _Oh fuck… what do I do? Should I kiss him? Should I walk away? Is it a trap? _He needn't have worried though, because the boat jerked suddenly, sending them flying sideways. Their lips scraped for less than a millisecond until the slammed into the deck, Jet on top of Zuko, clinging to his shirt.

They looked at each other and burst out laughing, not knowing a better way to break the ever-increasing tension. "You okay down there, Lee?" Zuko nodded, a rarely-seen grin on his face. "I don't know about you, but I'm tired." Jet yawned, rolling off of him but not removing his arms or head from the boy's chest. They stayed like that all night, dozing for part of it and just staring at the stars for the rest.

*End of Flashback*

Zuko thought that they formed a bond that night, both feeling the same pain when it was ripped away by Uncle's tea warming shenanigans.

_Am I ever going to get my kiss?_ Zuko thought, disappointed.

Jet walked back into the room, annoyed by the disturbance. Zuko patted the space next to him on the bed, motioning for Jet to join him. The boy with the shaggy brown hair stumbled forwards and lay on the bed. "You're hurt." The Fire Lord stated, putting a hand on the cut. Jet winced, trying to put on a brave face.

"It's not deep. I'll clean it up in a minute. Guess I chose the wrong time not to wear armour, huh?" He chuckled awkwardly. Zuko didn't laugh.

"I'll *hic* clean it for you." Jet gave him a look that said 'really? You can barely stand!' Zuko wasn't pleased. "I can do it! You just saved my life, let me help you!" _Is he pouting? Oh my spirits! I've reduced the fucking Fire Lord to pouting… What the shit do I do?_ It was true, Zuko was stood there with wide eyes and his lower lip stuck forwards slightly, his intoxication showing no signs of leaving.

"Okay, okay. Honestly, you're so demanding!" He teased, rolling his eyes.

They walked into the en-suit bathroom. Jet leant against the wall whilst Zuko rummaged around the cupboard, knocking over bottles with his clumsy hands. _Not like him_. Jet thought. He was usually quick and precise, like a ninja.

His face suddenly broke out into a wide grin as he started laughing. "What's got you giggling?" Jet questioned. Zuko fell backwards onto his back, eyes watering.

"Look at all the things they supplied us with. What do they think we'll be getting up to here?" Jet looked inside to see heavy duty gauze, condoms, moustache wax, water balloons and a whole load of other random things. He grabbed the antiseptic and a bandage before removing his shirt.

Zuko looked at his chest to see if the internal damage had left a mark. It hadn't. _He hasn't let himself go either…_ Zuko thought, admiring the boy's toned torso. He shot to his feet in a second and ordered Jet to sit on the side of the bath. The line of red cut through the tan skin, like the knife that created it. The fire nation boy dabbed the wound, noticing Jet groan in pain. "Shh, shh it's okay. It'll make it better." He chimed, his mouth only inches away from the Freedom Fighter's ear.

He withdrew, ripped the bandage open and held it onto Jet's muscular shoulder. "Uh, you can let go now." Jet said, trying and failing to grab his discarded shirt.

"No." Zuko commanded, pushing him back into position. "I have to keep pressure on it. Don't you know anything about first aid?" Jet obliged. "How's it feeling now?"

"Not bad, now you've turned you're 'expert' hands to it." Jet said with a wink. "Can we get out of here now? Or are you going to make another excuse to keep your hands on me?" He thought Zuko was looking a little better. He still looked pissed off his head, but less like he might pass out.

"Oh it's better, is it? What if I take the pressure off?" Zuko removed his hand and watched as a blotch of blood blossomed on the surface of the bandage. "That needs to stop bleeding before we go back in. It's not polite to stain your host's sheets." Jet chuckled at Zuko's indirect invitation and made another attempt at grabbing his shirt. Consequently, Zuko threw the shirt through the open door and dragged him to the ground. "You need pressure on it! When I've finished, you can get your shirt." He straddled his waist and put his hands on the wound for a few seconds until it had finished. Then, he refreshed the bandages.

"Okay. You're done. Thanks." Jet impatiently said. Seeing the boy on top of him make no effort to move, he stared sitting up.

"No, not yet, just one more thing." Zuko swing forwards with one hand on the floor for support, pinning him to the ground. He started moving down agonisingly slow, Jet felt his hot breath tingle on his bare skin. A shiver ran down his spine just as Zuko reached his desired area: the bandage. He placed his lips onto the cloth and gave it a quick kiss. With his mission complete, he ran back into his room and jumped on the bed.

Jet lay there for a second, getting his breath back then followed- his shirt forgotten. He figured there were only a few hours left and Zuko would need to be at least a bit more sober before then. "You need to sleep if we're going to the pre-party tonight." Jet said, climbing on to the bed next to Zuko. The Fire Lord turned to face him, his pout back on his face. "You're like a fucking child when you're drunk, you know. I haven't seen a pout like that since Smellerbee wanted me to give her my hooked swords." He chuckled at the memory.

Zuko wasn't sure when he put his arms around Jet; he just vaguely registered the other boy doing the same back. H nuzzled his face into Jet's chest feeling suddenly very tired.

_He's actually going to sleep. Oh well, I suppose he'll sober up better that way. _Jet thought, disappointed.

_Maybe I'll get my kiss someday._

* * *

Aang looked out the window at the beautiful sunset, thinking of Katara. _What did I do wrong? Was I too clingy? Should I grow up a bit? She's so perfect… How do I win her back? Hang on a minute… sunset! I have to meet everyone at the entrance! _He air blasted himself to his feet and dressed in seconds. _I wonder if Zuko's awake. I should check seeing as we're on the same floor._

He knocked for Zuko: there was no response but the door creaked open. _He must still be asleep. Why would he leave the door open?_ He pushed it open to see a now very awake Zuko and Jet looking up from their previous position.

"I- um-sorry. We're meant to meet the others now." Aang's eye's darted over the room, slightly embarrassed at the scene he'd walked in on.

"Oh, thanks for waking me- _us._ Do you mind not-" Zuko started, wincing at the light and wishing he could sleep for the next millennia. His head was close to exploding. _Why did I agree to drink with Jet? _He thought, not being too bothered by the fact he had a shirtless Jet in his arms and a pink cheeked Avatar at the door.

"Sure. I won't say anything." Aang promised, before leaving. _Well at least I know they enjoyed their day... _he thought, giggling slightly to himself. He hopped out the window and swooshed himself through the entrance door.

"Ah, Aang. I'm glad to see you so high-spirited after the earlier events. It's a shame my nephew hasn't risen yet." Iroh said, sipping at a cup of tea. He was wide awake, unlike most of the other guests. The amount of tea he'd drank had helped the cactus juice effects wear off, along with a nap.

A ruckus could be heard coming from the staircase. Suddenly, Jet and Zuko came running, pushing and shoving into the entrance. Neither one was in a particularly good mood when they woke up. They'd both rushed to the bathroom, Zuko to dramatically vomit and Jet to find some form of pain relief. After they'd both had a good dose, they realised how late they were and ran (pulling on the clothes they'd lost along the way).

"Glad you could finally join us, boys. Had a nice sleep, did you?" Iroh joked with them. _He knows something._ Zuko thought, eyes widening.

"I certainly did and Zuko told me what a good nap he had when we bumped into each other on the stairs. How was your rest?" Jet said coolly. _You can tell he's an ex-sociopath. _Zuko nodded, desperately.

* * *

Arnook (and a few dozen guards) lead the guests through the streets and to the base of the festivities. A Lot of work had gone into it. An earth-covered ice platform stood in the centre, creating the main stage for the parties. Traditional water tribe stalls sat around it, offering over priced merchandise to any rich buyer. A band played a sweet lullaby on flute like instruments which villagers danced whole-heartedly to.

The atmosphere was truly beautiful. The city people were all talking about how Yue would have loved it. He looked up to the now full moon and thought _I wish you were here, my darling daughter. Your bravery is that beyond any warrior. I'm so proud of you. This past year has been hell for us; I hope yours has been better._

Arnook lead everyone into a circle around the centre of the platform, where he stood in the middle to give his speech.

* * *

Suki was pissed off. She had been since Sokka gave his little speech earlier that day. _Heartless pig._ He hadn't tried speaking to her yet and if he did she'd need Ty Lee to restrain her again. Luckily, the two Kyoshi warriors were stood next to each other, if anything should happen with Mai on Suki's other side and Teo on Ty Lee's.

None of them were paying attention. Mai was looking around for possible couples, Ty Lee and Teo being a definite because they were holding hands and whispering to each other with wild grins on their faces.

Suki was distracted with several thoughts of how to kill Sokka.

* * *

Midnight was coming and Arnook was still talking. Sokka and Katara had started listening, they really had and at some point, they'd shed a tear. However, after just under two hours of him talking_- what's he even talking about? Oh, he's onto woman's rights now, we'll be here all night!_ - Even Katara had stopped listening. She was too busy concentration on how Haru had changed the style of his moustache, possibly with the aid of the wax given to every guest in their bathrooms. _It's an improvement, but I still preferred him without it._

* * *

Arnook was at the end of his last nerve. He'd prepared this brilliant talk and no one was listening. Did no one care about his daughter? Were they only there for the party? Sure, half of them hadn't known her, but she was their _saviour_! They should be respectful, _grateful_. He decided to make them aware of this.

"None of you are listening!" He screeched at the very top of his lungs. Then, he ranted about how important she was and how they should be honouring her. He got so into his rant that he didn't see the beam of light behind him. He didn't see the shock on everyone's faces. He didn't see the Northern Water Tribe Princess appear behind him.

He did hear a lovely, florally voice address him as "Father".

* * *

**Oooooooo the return of Yue. Yay! I'll explain next time ;)**


End file.
